On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, volunteers put the finishing touches on small homes in Seattle's Central District which will soon house some of the city's homeless population. The homes have the kind of basic amenities you don't see in homeless camps.

"The difference is you have electricity and a lock on the door," said Steve Tucker, a member of the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. The church is hosting what organizers have called Seattle's first tiny house village.

The 14 homes are insulated. They'll have oil heat registers for winter and fans for summer. Some even have extra touches, like storage and sleeping platforms.

Most importantly, there's a central building with toilets, running hot and cold water and soon, a shower.

"You have two toilets, which is a big difference from Nickelsville," Tucker said, referring to the organized homeless camp. "They have port-a-potties."

The tiny house village is going up on church property in a lot that used to have a single family home on it. The village taps in to the old utility services.

Previously, organizers said they believed the tiny houses would provide an attractive alternative to tent cities.

"I think the kind of setup they have going here is going to lead a few people to getting back on their feet, a motivational thing," said Chuck Warden, a homeless man who provides security for the tiny house village and plans to move in once construction is completed.

The pilot project is supported by Seattle's Low Income Housing Iniative.

"We think it's a good crisis response to homelessness," said Sharon Lee, of the Low Income Housing Institute.

Lee expects most people to stay in the village between four to six months as they transition from Nickelsville to affordable housing.

Each adult will pay $90 per month to cover utilities for the tiny house village.

"I think this is a unique model and we want to continue this model," Lee said.

Donors paid for the homes, which cost about $2,200 each. Volunteers from several groups built the village.

The event formerly known as Home World has a new name and new location.Get totally inspired for spring as you find hundreds of ways to improve your home. Make your home the one you really want. Show open daily duringmall hours. Admission is free!

Landscaping and Outdoors

Get ready for Spring and Summer and transform your outdoor space into something that feels like you’re on vacation

Demonstration Stage

Make sure to visit our demonstration stage during the entire show. There will be exciting demonstrations on how to re-purpose and design thanks to Monarch Market Affair.

Meet Barry Williams from The Brady Bunch

﻿Join us as we welcome Me-TV superstar Barry Williams who played the iconic Greg Brady from The Brady Bunch TV Show. Meet him and get an autograph on February 10th stage side at center court in front of Macy’s.

The line will start forming when the Mall Opens, and Barry’s First appearance will be at 11 a.m.